She has been making the news longer than she was alive. We all know the face – sparkling blue eyes, long blonde curly hair, perhaps a bit more makeup than most of us would choose to put on our six-year-old daughter. JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered in her parent’s basement the day after Christmas in 1996.
The beauty pageant contestant’s case was odd from the very start. Her mother Patsy discovered JonBenet was missing from their comfortable home after finding a 2 1/2 page rambling ransom note. It demanded $118,000 – almost the exact amount of her father John Ramsey’s last bonus check. The Bolder police could not find any evidence of forced entry into the house. The police were blamed for ruining important evidence, as was JonBenet’s father after he found her body in the basement and carried her upstairs.
Her parents were suspects for years. The ransom note was found to be written on a pad that belonged to the Ramseys. A sharpie similar to that that was used on the ransom note was found in the kitchen of the home. After taking handwriting samples, forensic experts noted a resemblance between the handwriting of Patsy Ramsey and that of the ransom note. They could never say for certain that she did not write the letter.
No suspects were ever charged – until now, almost 10 years after her death. When I watch the police crime shows on television, they often tell us that is a case goes beyond a year, there is little chance it will ever be solved. Now John Mark Karr has made headlines for confessing to the death of JonBenet and subsequently being arrested. And even that is surrounded by more questions than answers.
His wife at the time of the murder says he was always with them at Christmas time. Yet the police say he knows intimate details of JonBenet’s condition that only the killer would know. Karr is now being taken back to Colorado to face charges. Maybe if they can match up Karr’s DNA with that found under JonBenet’s fingernails, this crime can finally be laid to rest.
But it will be too late for Patsy Ramsey. Patsy Ramsey died due to a relapse of ovarian cancer less than two months ago.
I don’t know how I feel about all this. I will admit – I was suspicious of the parents in the beginning. There was all the odd circumstances and their refusal to take a polygraph test. And, now this Karr guy has confessed. So I am starting to feel a bit guilty for thinking it was the parents, but there is still weirdness and confusion surrounding this case. Do you think Karr is guilty? If he is convicted can we finally put JonBenet and her memory behind us?